1924 In the News

We are profiling the year of 1924.  Last week we discussed the prices of 1924.  This week, let’s look at the headlines and items of interest from 1924.

In 1924, news moved much slower today.  Most people still received the bulk of their news through the newspaper.  The radio was beginning to gain attraction and appear in more and more homes.  Families were now able to tune into the radio for the current events of the day.

Remember, these were the days before the invention of the television and internet.

So what events and people were in the headlines?

Events in 1924

• Feb 13th – The tomb of King Tutankhamun tomb opened
• February 22—Calvin Coolidge becomes the first President of the United States to deliver a radio broadcast from the White House
• May 4 – The 1924 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies are held in Paris, France.

  

• November 27 – In New York City the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is held.
• Ellis Island closes to most immigrants after the Immigration Act of 1924
• Two United States Army Planes Complete the first round the world flight in 175 days
• Johnny Weissmuller wins three gold medals at the Summer Olympics
• J. Edgar Hoover appointed Director of the Bureau of Investigation {BOI}, later known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation {FBI}

 

Interesting Facts:

• It took 13 days to reach California from New York  There were 387,000 miles of paved road
• 20% of Americans had cars

  

• 25% of women worked outside the home
• Number of divorces doubled in 1920s

Interesting events:

• Walt Disney creates his first cartoon, “Alice’s Wonderland.”
• Paul Whiteman introduces George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

 

International Events

• First Winter Olympics held in France
• Russia’s Lenin died at age 54,
• Adolph Hitlerwas freed after eight months in prison

  

• Dutch scientist winning a Nobel Prize for the electrocardiogram
• King Tut’s tomb being opened after 3,300 years

 

 

Miss America
Ruth Malcomson of Pennsylvania

 

President of the United States
Calvin Coolidge

 

King of England
George V

 

 

Born this Year   {Although not in the 1924 news, they later made the headlines}

• Doris Day–April 3
• Marlon Brandon–April 3
• Henry Mancini–April 16
• George H. W. Bush–June 12
• Don Knotts–July 21
• Jimmy Carter–October 1

 

Deaths

• January 21–Vladimir Lenin, Russian Revolutionary and first Premier of the Soviet Union, b. 1870
• February 3–Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, b. 1856
• April 1–Frank Capon, American gangster and brother of Al Capon, b. 1895
• November 29–Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer, b. 1858